STOCKTON, Mo.— At the beginning of each year, the Stockton Lake Association, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the Missouri Department of Conservation combine forces to bring the community a spectacle of nature’s beauty known as Eagle Days. The 21st annual Eagles Days will be held on January 3, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
Eagle Days lake tours offer a view point of Stockton Lake not seen from the roadway or campground and can offer a breathtaking view of nature’s beauty. To maximize convenience, three separate locations around the lake will be used for tour starting points: Orleans Trail Marina, Mutton Creek Marina, and Stockton State Park Marina. The marinas will be providing pontoon boats to ferry spectators to and from eagle observation areas. Due to limited seating on the tours, registration must be made prior to the event.
Warm up after your lake tour at the Ray Zumwalt Expo Center in Stockton. The Stockton Lions Club will be selling coffee, hot cocoa and doughnuts, and the Dickerson Park Zoo will be conducting an eagle program featuring two live species of eagles, a bald eagle and a golden eagle. The hour long programs will begin on the hour starting at 10:00 a.m. and will continue through the day with the last program starting at 1:00 p.m. No prior registration is necessary for the zoo’s eagle program.
Local Missouri Department of Conservation agents conduct annual eagle counts on the lake each year. These counts are conducted before the Eagle Days tour takes place revealing the eagle “hot spots” around the lake. The annual Stockton Lake census has averaged approximately 75 eagles in past years.
A $5 donation for the lake tour is requested by the Stockton Lake Association but is not a requirement. The donations help cover fuel and other costs associated with the boat tours, and are much appreciated.
If you are interested in taking part in this breathtaking experience for the first time or are returning for another blissful tour, please register with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Stockton Lake Project office at 417-276-3113 by 4 p.m. on January 2. Please dress appropriately for the day’s weather conditions, and don’t forget to bring your binoculars and camera. In case of extreme weather, please tune in to KRWP 107.7 F.M. or KTTS 94.7 F.M. for cancellation information.
-30-
Release no. PA-2014-58